Vacant Kent house is demolished after fire

A vacant house that was destroyed by a fire this weekend was demolished for safety reasons Sunday, the Kent Fire Department said.

Capt. Charles Palmer said the house, at 128 S. Lincoln Street, was completely destroyed in the early Saturday morning blaze. Firefighters are still investigating the cause.

The house was owned by Kent State University, which had been planning to demolish it as part of its Esplanade expansion. After Saturday’s fire, however, firefighters determined that the remains of the structure needed to be demolished right away.

“We were concerned about the safety of the public,” he said.

The blaze started at about 5:30 a.m. Saturday, and firefighters had the blaze under control by 7 a.m. The fire started at the back of the structure but quickly spread throughout the house.

A firefighter, whose name was not released, was injured when he fell from the weakened first floor of the structure to the basement. The firefighter was treated for minor injuries at Akron City Hospital and remains under a doctor’s care, Palmer said.